Will new Berkeley restaurant Origen break location’s unlucky streak?

In the past 14 years, there have been a total of five restaurants at 2826 Telegraph Avenue.

For 37 years, Casa de Eva ruled the roost. When it closed in 1997, Mazzini, the brainchild of Jim Maser of Cafe Fanny fame, came in. Lucio’s, Zax Tavern, and Maritime East followed in quick succession. Then came Locanda da Eva, which only lasted four months, shutting suddenly in November 2010.

Locanda da Eva lasted four months at 2826 Telegraph.

Now two Pleasant Hill restaurateurs want to give the spot a chance, and they say that the location is actually blessed (with a lot of Berkeley history), not cursed. They believe that Francis K. Shattuck may once have owned the land under the building and praise the legendary Berkeley woodworking company Berkeley Mills for the exquisite interior.

“The building itself and the way it is set up is gorgeous,” said Trace Leighton, who runs Nibblers Eatery & Wine Bar in Pleasant Hill with her business and life partner, Daniel Clayton. “There is plenty of parking. It is an easy exit from the freeway and there are lots of people who live within walking distance. You can easily call any restaurant setting cursed if it has had a number of turnovers, but it really comes down to the people and what they do with it and how they do it.”